Super Eagles: Beautiful reason why Pisa star Durosinmi left Nigeria camp before Portugal tie

Super Eagles and Pisa star Rafiu Durosinmi. Copyright: xToyinxOshodix IMAGO

Nigeria’s Super Eagles will be without one of the fresh faces from their successful summer international campaign when they take on Portugal in a high-profile friendly in Leiria next week, Soccernet.ng reports.

Pisa striker Rafiu Durosinmi was excused from the Super Eagles camp and will not feature in the friendly against Portugal on June 10. Initially, the Nigeria Football Federation described his departure from camp as being due to “personal matters”, but the real reason has now emerged.

The 23-year-old forward left the team after Nigeria’s entertaining 2-2 draw against Poland in Warsaw to travel home for his wedding ceremonies. The special occasion meant he could not remain with the squad as they moved from Poland to Portugal for the next stage of their preparations.

Head coach Éric Chelle approved the striker’s request, recognising the importance of the milestone in the player’s personal life. With the wedding taking place just days before the Portugal fixture, there was little chance of Durosinmi returning in time to participate fully in tactical sessions ahead of the game.

His absence is a blow for a player who has enjoyed a memorable start to life with the senior national team.

Durosinmi was one of the newcomers called up by Chelle for the 2026 Unity Cup in London. He made his senior debut against Zimbabwe at The Valley, coming on in the second half as Nigeria secured a comfortable 2-0 victory.

Standing at 192cm, the former Czech league star immediately caught the eye with his strength, hold-up play and ability to trouble defenders. His promising cameo earned him a place in the starting line-up for the Unity Cup final against Jamaica.

Partnering captain Terem Moffi in attack, Durosinmi helped Nigeria dominate the match as the Super Eagles cruised to a 3-0 victory and successfully retained the Unity Cup trophy. It was the first silverware of his international career and a dream beginning to life in the famous green-and-white shirt.

Soccer Super Eagles: Portugal test awaits Chelle’s men

After impressing in London, Durosinmi remained part of Chelle’s plans for the June international window and featured again against Poland at the PGE Narodowy Stadium.

Nigeria twice took the lead against the White and Reds before a late equaliser forced the Super Eagles to settle for a thrilling 2-2 draw. Durosinmi was used as one of the attacking options as Chelle continued to assess players ahead of future competitive fixtures.

However, while the rest of the squad travelled on to their training base in Leiria, the striker headed home for his wedding celebrations.

The Super Eagles will now prepare for Portugal without one of their emerging forwards. Fortunately for Chelle, reinforcements have arrived in camp, including midfielders Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze as well as defender Christian Akpan.

Nigeria face Portugal at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria on Wednesday, June 10, with kick-off scheduled for 8:45pm Nigerian time. The match represents the final warm-up fixture for the Portuguese before the 2026 FIFA World Cup and offers the Super Eagles another opportunity to test themselves against elite opposition.

Imhonlamhen

Imhonlamhen is a football writer and editor at Soccernet.ng with over six years’ experience shaping its editorial voice. A lifelong Arsenal and Super Eagles fan, he combines engineering precision with training in journalism and digital media. He has covered four AFCONs and two Women’s AFCON tournaments, specialising in Super Eagles history and tracking Nigerian players worldwide, while keeping a close eye on the NPFL and emerging homegrown talents.